Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
-- Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

Here is Jasmine, on the mend from her eye surgery. All reports are good so far. Biopsy report is still due but all signs point to a clean report. Her best friend Taylor is assisting in Jasmine's care. We are happy this ordeal is over before their school starts next week. We know her mother is assisting in Jasmine's care too, but what about those brothers?

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Yesterday I say my cardiologist and Ron saw our PCP (primary care physician). My cardiologist was literally crushed to learn that I had gained 24 pounds after having lost 48. He took it very personally and I thought his disappointment was going to make him cry.

Ron’s doctor appointment went a little better but the PCP still focused on weight and urged him to exercise and eat healthy.

This was the first time I realized our medical victories are claimed by the doctors. If we succeed through hard work and following instructions, the doctor gets to claim the prize.

With my competitive nature, I have found a way to win this round. I guess you could say that I was the winner yesterday……………. for most weight gained. WhooHoo! :-)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Does anyone eat instant banana oatmeal? We buy the boxes of instant fruit oatmeal. The box contains peach, strawberry, blueberry and banana packets. We don't like the banana but you can't just buy the others. We would buy all peach or all strawberry if we could. Wait, do I hear you say that Quaker sells boxes of single flavors? Oh yes, I know that. But, Great Value does not. We buy the cheaper brands and that leaves us with packets and packets of left over banana oatmeal. We can't even convince the grandchildren to eat it. Shouldn't I be able to calculate the cost of the banana oatmeal packets that go to waste and compare that to our savings on not buying the name brand oatmeal and thus justify buying Quaker oatmeal? One day I'm going to open the cabinet door and be killed in an avalanche of -- you guessed it -- instant banana oatmeal flakes.

I am fascinated by the habits of Guinea Fowl. Things are happening with Milton and Pat, our only two guineas. Pat is not returning to the roost at night. Milton does go inside, but he reunites with Pat the first thing every morning. By all research it appears they might be starting a family. Pat has a nest somewhere. I read on the attached site that guinea fowl lay 12 to 20 eggs. I'm not sure if that's at one time or over a lifetime. I will have to check further.None of the guinea fowl that Curly hatched survived. We purchased eight guineas on May 6Th and Milton and Pat are the only survivors of that batch. We are even assuming they are male and female. Guinea Fowl are monogamous and these two are always together except now, at night, when he goes in and she stays out. We may have sisters instead of husband and wife. I shall have to keep you posted on this.Meanwhile, Tiger Lily is at it again. This silky hen is setting on a nest of about 15 eggs right now. We'll be finding out if Darrell and Darrell have been doing their jobs fertilizing eggs properly around the 5Th of September.

Today Chelle starts her new job. She will be in the public school system as a Para-Educator. Para-Educators work in special education, juvenile court schools and vocational education programs with a variety of at-risk and high-risk students. Students served are in need of academic assistance. These students have learning handicaps, communication handicaps and behavioral or emotional handicaps. What a challenging job this will be.

For the grandchildren going back to school and for Chelle starting a new job, I say"1-2-3!"

We did have a good time and enjoyed visiting with new friends and old shipmates. I truly mean “old”. Some of these fellows served during WWII.

Branson is an unusual resort community. There are entertainers at every turn. Artists seeking fame and fortune are willing to perform in every hotel, restaurant or as opening acts, just to gain some recognition and maybe some good tips. Some of them stink and others are excellent. You can hear these entertainers basically for free and not have to pay high prices to get into the Branson shows.

M.H. (My Husband) was on several ships during his 30 years of service. This was his only aircraft carrier. We had not attended this particular ship’s reunion before – the USS Bon Homme Richard, a/k/a The Bonny Dick.

The entertainer at our banquet was a torch singer. He was a very talented entertainer but he was a bit loud. It was funny to watch all these deaf people (ourselves included) trying to communicate at their tables above the sound of the piano. You might say we were rude to have been talking over the entertainment but if you say that you obviously have never been in a room full of sailors with tall tales of war and the sea. Those stories must emit from their vocal cords immediately upon arrival to their brains regardless of surroundings or circumstances.

Our banquet table group consisted of Korea and Vietnam veterans and two eighth grade girls. They were there with one girl’s grandfather and the other girl was her best friend. Remember that age when you could not be parted from your best friend? I told them about how precious their friendship was at this age and to treasure each other and always stay in touch. I told them about my granddaughter Jasmine’s best friend Taylor and how those two girls stand by each other through thick and thin. I told them about finding my best friend from eighth grade after over 40 years and these girls were ..............bored as hell but listened politely to this old lady.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Yes, yes, I was a child caught in they Elvis hype. I remember asking to skip church the Sunday night Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Whew, my father the minister, did not go for that idea at all. Regardless I made it home in time to see the show and there is a picture of me screaming my head off. How did we ever hear him sing over the screaming? I don't think we did.We were not allowed to go to any of the Elvis movies. My sister did manage to sneak away to see Love Me Tender. I will never forget her reenactment of the entire movie, playing each role well and Elvis' role to perfection. Later I finally saw the movie but it never was as good as the night my sister performed . Hey Elenore, could you do that again?

Grandfather and granddaughter are pretty tough. However, with all Jasmine is going through, I'm about to decide she is truly the courageous one! What a trooper......and everyone is cheering her on! WE LOVE YOU JAZZY!

Make a strong, 12 cup pot of your favorite blend of coffee. While it is still warm, add one 14 oz. can of "fat free" condensed, sweetened milk. Cool and refrigerate. Serve over ice. It keeps nicely for 3 to 4 days and it is delicious!We use Great Value brand condensed milk because it is almost a dollar less than the leading brand.

Today Hope starts school. Now all of our grandchildren (The Great Eight) are in school. Hope, starts Kindergarten and September our oldest grandchild, Joey, starts his senior year of high school. Talk about feeling old!

Monday, August 13, 2007

A grand time was had by all. We laughed and laughed and played and talked. Everyone loved Christiane. She truly is "family". Today is Monday and I want to email my mother and tell her all about our weekend.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

I believe Kenju needs to change her blog title to Blogger Friends Central. She is always sending us around to read good posts. She sent a lot of nice folks my direction this week and I can't wait to read their blogs. Thanks Judy....that's what friends are for!

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

One blogger told a story about some problems with neighborhood kids. Her story jarred my memory. This is another juvenile delinquent story.We moved into a government subsidized housing project soon after my divorce in 1975 and our eyes were opened to a whole new world. The neighborhood bully was all of 5 years old. His name was Ray. Ray was a dirty, tiny little guy with tough talk and facial expressions that would give cold chills to the most hardened criminals. I did not want my three and four-year-old son and daughter to play with Ray, but in this type of melting pot atmosphere there were hardly any choices. Keep your kids in the house all the times or let them out and hope you could keep them in your sight.I did get up the nerve once to tell Ray he was not welcome on our sidewalk. Yea, right. He took another drag on his cigarette (I kid you not) and rode off on his bicycle laughing.Soon after that my son's bicycle disappeared. I offered a small reward for the return of the bike and, believe it or not, Ray found the bike, returned it, collected the reward, and then my son's bike mysteriously disappeared again. Did you guess the same thing I did? I'll always be sure Ray took the bike both times. That was when I nicknamed Ray The Godfather. My son's fifth birthday approached and I told him he could invite five friends. Our apartment was small and there would not be room for more. Word got out and 22 neighborhood children showed up for the party. They all brought gifts. Each had selected something of their own to give and were delighted to have the chance to attend a real birthday party. My mother was there and managed to organize the children, teach them games and divide a small cake in nice portions for each child.I looked out the window and could see The Godfather circling the block on his bicycle. He knew we had a party going on. I stepped outside and invited him in. He took off at a rapid pace and said he wasn't a bit interested. The next time he came around the corner I stepped out with a small piece of cake and assured him there wasn't any harm in sharing a piece of my son's birthday cake. Ray took the cake and shoved it in his mouth. There were a couple of piece of hard candy on the plate and he shoved those in his pocket and rode off with icing smeared on his already dirty face.That evening, after the party had ended and all the children had gone home, we had a knock at the door. I opened the door to Ray who was holding a nice, new little toy car. He brought this gift to my son for his birthday. It is doubtful The Godfather could have produced a sales receipt for this fine car, but I decided it was best not to inquire. We never had any problems with Ray after that day and my children were granted protection for the next three years until we moved. I will always wonder what happened to Ray. He either ended up in prison or he is CEO of some large corporation.I'm watching The Sopranos on my Netflix right now and maybe I enjoy these mobsters so much because they cause me to remember Ray.

Monday, August 06, 2007

My godchildren are coming on Saturday from Colorado and California. They will arrive after noon and stay until noon on Sunday. My son, daughter, her husband and all the grand kids are coming too. We will have bedrolls and fall where slumber takes us. I have purchased NegraMedelo beer and Guinness and PinotGricio wine at the request of my goddaughter. I will search for dark chocolate treats, vegetables and unsalted meats for my godson's girlfriend. The other children don't matter this trip because we are embracing Jessi, Travis whom we only see about once a year and Christiane that I have never met. It is going to be one heck of a weekend and I shall attempt to find all the most embarrassing videos I can.

It has been over a year since I sold on eBay after an eight year membership. I am proud of my 99.6% ranking. It has barely been two days since I bought on eBay. I love eBay. You can find all the best bargains on eBay.......but, you must know how to shop on eBay. Has your seller been on eBay for at least six months and does the seller have a 99% or better rating? Those are the first good signals.If you see a negative or two on an eBay seller, check first to see how long the seller has been a member. Check to see how long the issuer of the negative has been a member. Anyone who enters a negative is either trying to get out of a legitimate purchase or they have a hitonious complaint and have tried desperately to satisfy the situation with the seller. Rarely do they ever have a hitonious complaint. Usually they are fairly new eBayers who complain because they are simply whiners.If you shop on eBay remember that complaints damage a seller greatly. Never enter a negative unless your first give the seller a chance to fix the situation or unless the seller has committed a fraud or greatly misrepresented the product and refused to rectify the complaint. Don't jump in and enter a negative about the person without giving them the chance to refund your money or replace your product.I'm not sure if I will ever return to eBay as a seller, but I will always shop on eBay and I truly appreciate those who sellers who hang in there like Monica. Oh my goodness, her vintage products are fantastic!

These are great days in August. Three days in a row we celebrate three grandchildren. Today Ian turns 15 in California. Tomorrow Dillon will be 13 in Oklahoma and Wednesday Michael will be 13 in Missouri. (Dillon and Michael were born exactly 24 hours apart.) We celebrate all three of these fine young men and cherish them as we do all our grandchildren.Boys absolutely flabbergast me. I can relate to the granddaughters as they age and take on changes. The boys literally amaze me as I try to figure just what goes on in their minds. Michael was with me all last week and while he comforted me and consoled me over the loss of my mother and entertained me too. He also drove me straight up the wall. "Close the backdoor Michael." "Hey, don't forget to close the backdoor." "You keep leaving the backdoor open it's expensive to aircondition the outdoors!""Be sure and put the pop back in the refrigerator." "Did you leave this lid off the pop?" "Did that bottle of pop sit out all night?""Candy wrappers go in the trash Michael." "Hey Mike, put those candy wrappers in the trash." "How did all these candy wrappers get in the washing machine?" "Where is Mike? Just follow the trail of candy wrappers!" and from Grandpa with rage, "WHO ATE ALL MY CANDY BARS?""Shake the grass off your shoes and leave them by the door please." "Don't walk in the house with those shoes on." "Oops, you forgot to take your shoes off." "Don't take your shoes off and then tramp around in the grass in your socks because the grass falls off your socks as you stomp around the house."My ring tones are changed on my cell phone. The computer goes berserk after the grandsons show their computer skills whether we want them to or not. When the boys start telling stories they stay right with you even following you to the bathroom and talking through the door or pushing notes and/or pictures under the door to share as if you're never coming out again. But, they grow up to be brilliant and they give big bear hugs, so who cares about the rest. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS. GRANNY AND GRANDPA LOVE YOU!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Climbing out of sorrow is a difficult thing to do. It is made easier by comforting comments that are like fizzy lifting drink. Thank you! I want to write on my blog but finding words worth sharing doesn't seem to happen. I posted a couple of things and then deleted them. I enter blog world and read all the amazing things others have written. I laugh and cry and feel a little more like a person again. It is as if my blogger friends are turning the jump rope and inviting me to jump in. Here I come......baby steps.

About Me

Favorite quote by Angie Worth: "Faith is what holds us together while religion tears us apart."
ABOUT ME: I avoid the news. I have turned off my political upheaval. My days of political activisim are supposed to be over. My hands have been thrown up in surrender and I try to be the best wife, mom, grandma, sibling and chicken farmer that I can be. "I am alive, I am alive by God's grace, I am living in God's care."

PAINT PARTY FRIDAY

29 FACES CHALLENGE

29 FACES CHALLENGE

Counter-Terrorist Rooster

UNUSUAL HENHOUSE KIDNAPPING

Published in Countryside Magazine, Sept/Oct 2009 isue. A surprise in one of our chicken house nest boxes Be sure and click to enlarge.

POETRY PORTRAITS

Custom, descriptive poetry for all occasions. Granny Annie established Poetry Portraits by Angie Worth in 1983 and has written and sold over 1,000 since that time. "Angie Worth takes up where Hallmark leaves off" Lou Ann Ruark, Tulsa World, 1984